Lahontan Gold Corp. (TSX.V: LG) (OTCQB: LGCXF) has announced three additions to its management team, a strategic move as the company accelerates its transition from mine developer to mine builder. The appointments come as Lahontan advances permitting and mine planning for its flagship Santa Fe Mine in Nevada, with a targeted production restart in 2027.

Tony Gesualdo has rejoined Lahontan as vice president of exploration, a role he previously held from 2020 to 2023. During his earlier tenure, Gesualdo was instrumental in contributing to the initial Mineral Resource Estimate for the Santa Fe Mine, which has since been updated to include an Indicated Mineral Resource of 1,539,000 ounces of gold equivalent and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 411,000 ounces of gold equivalent, as outlined in the company's NI 43-101 technical report.

Michael Kubel joins as senior mine engineer, bringing over a decade of experience in Nevada open-pit gold mining and heap-leach operations. His background includes work at the Florida Canyon and Hycroft mines, both large-scale operations in the state. Kubel's expertise will support optimization of mine planning and operational readiness for Santa Fe's restart, which is planned to use the same open-pit, heap-leach approach that characterized the mine's historical production.

Jen Earle has been appointed to lead investor relations and business development. With two decades of experience in natural resources, capital markets, and investor engagement across the LSE, ASX, and TSX markets, Earle is expected to strengthen Lahontan's communication with the investment community as the company progresses toward construction and production.

Kimberly Ann, founder, executive chair, CEO, and president of Lahontan, emphasized that these additions enhance the company's technical, operational, and business development capabilities. "As we advance Santa Fe's permitting, mine planning, and our planned transition toward construction and operations, having the right team in place is critical," Ann said in the press release.

The Santa Fe Mine project spans 26.4 square kilometers in the Walker Lane of Nevada and has a history of past production. The Walker Lane is an established mineral belt in the southwestern United States that hosts multiple past-producing and current gold mines. Between 1988 and 1995, the site produced 359,202 ounces of gold and 702,067 ounces of silver from open-pit mines using heap-leach processing. The project currently holds an indicated resource of 48,393,000 tonnes grading 0.92 g/t gold and 7.18 g/t silver (0.99 g/t gold equivalent) and an inferred resource of 16,760,000 tonnes grading 0.74 g/t gold and 3.25 g/t silver (0.76 g/t gold equivalent), all pit-constrained.

Lahontan plans to update the Santa Fe Preliminary Economic Assessment and drill test its satellite West Santa Fe project during 2025. The company also continues to focus on permitting and environmental baseline studies to support the planned 2027 restart. For readers tracking the project's progress, key milestones to watch include the updated economic assessment, results from West Santa Fe drilling, and the advancement of state and federal permitting steps, each of which the company has identified as part of its 2025 work program.

The technical content of the announcement has been reviewed and approved by Michael Lindholm, CPG, an independent consulting geologist and Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Lindholm confirmed that the reported grades and ounces are consistent with the technical report, which was authored by a team of engineers and geologists and has an effective date of December 10, 2024.

These management enhancements come at a pivotal time for the company as it prepares to move from a development-stage explorer to a near-term producer, a transition requiring robust technical leadership and strong investor confidence. Restarting past-producing mines is an approach used by a number of operators in Nevada, where existing infrastructure and historical production data can inform redevelopment planning. With a strengthened team, Lahontan is positioning itself to deliver on its production timeline and advance the value of the Santa Fe Mine for its shareholders.